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It was supposed to be a court of law, but as the small, balding figure of the main defendant stepped forward to give his identity, it sounded more like a sports arena.

“Bastard,” came a shout from the public at the sight of Jean-Claude Mas, the founder of the French company alleged to have supplied toxic breast implants to about 400,000 women around the world, including an estimated 47,000 in Britain. Uproar ensued. Boos and hisses echoed from the 310 plaintiffs squeezed on to the public benches as Mr Mas claimed that his only revenue was a state pension of